Spanish Formula One driver Carlos Sainz is hopeful of returning to action for Sunday's Russian Grand Prix after surviving a harrowing 200mph shunt in final practice.
Sainz, who is contesting his debut season in the sport, was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Sochi after the crash on Saturday morning.
The 21-year-old lost control of his Toro Rosso as he approached turn 13 - the fastest section of the circuit which runs through Sochi's Olympic Park. He then slammed into the nearside wall, destroying the front left of his car, before careering head-on into the tyre barrier still at high speed.
The session was immediately red flagged, and subsequently abandoned, as medical crew took 20 minutes to extract Sainz from his cockpit.
There were worrying expressions on the faces of his team, and throughout the paddock - the incident coming only days after the one-year anniversary of Jules Bianchi's ultimately fatal crash in Japan - but as Sainz was put into the ambulance on the back of a stretcher he gave the thumbs-up.
His Toro Rosso team later confirmed he was conscious and talking to the medical team as he was removed from his car.
A team statement read: "Following Carlos Sainz's accident during FP3 today in Sochi, the driver is perfectly conscious and was able to talk to the extrication team.
"Once out of the car he was taken to the circuit Medical Centre, where he underwent an initial assessment of his condition.
"He has now been taken by air ambulance to the Sochi Hospital 4.
"Investigations on the reasons for the accident will take place once the car is back in the team's garage. Further information will be released by the team and the FIA to the media when it is available."
Toro Rosso decided not to replace Sainz, who will be kept in hospital overnight, for qualifying and the Spaniard has not given up hope of taking his place on the grid for Sunday's race.
He tweeted a picture from his hospital bed accompanied by the words: "All ok! Nothing to worry about! Already thinking how to convince the doctors to (let me) be on the grid for tomorrow."
The GP3 race scheduled to take part after Formula One's final practice session was cancelled as significant repairs were made to the impact-absorbing barriers at turn 13. Saturday's Formula One qualifying session started as usual albeit with only 19 runners.
After the crash, which happened with 25 minutes of final practice remaining, Sainz's Toro Rosso team-mate Max Verstappen said over the team radio: ''Is he okay? Because it looks like a big one."
"We lost the power on the car so we don't know," his team replied.
But Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost said Sainz was conscious throughout.
"He is fully conscious, which he was also immediately after the accident," Tost said. "He switched off the engine and everything, he did all the procedures as he normally does when he stops the car.
"The doctors checked him and there's no fracture. Now they are checking all the organs and everything but it looks quite positive
"The car is damaged too heavily and also if we could have repaired the car, after such an incident I want to see the car totally disassembled because we do not want to risk anything."
Sainz's car was buried in the tyre barriers at turn 13, and Tost added: "We must find a solution because that's quite dangerous.
"I think the barriers should be more fixed or whatever. I am not an expert in this but I am convinced the FIA will find a good solution for this."
Source: PA
